1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retractable coverings for use in architectural openings such as doorways, archways, or the like, wherein the covering includes a horizontal headrail mountable across the top of the opening from which is suspended a horizontally retractable, vertically extending, collapsible panel of shade material. The shade material has a fixed vertical side edge secured to a fixed vertical rail and a movable vertical side edge secured to a movable vertical rail. The covering can be a side draw or a center draw covering with the side-draw covering have the fixed rail along one side of the opening and the movable rail extendable to the opposite side of the opening. In a center-draw system, there are two panels with each having its fixed side rail at one side of the opening and its movable rail extendable to a longitudinal center of the headrail.
A trolley is secured to the top edge of the movable rail and has an elongated horizontal leg supported on longitudinally extending tracks within the headrail and reciprocally movable along the tracks. The trolley further has a vertical leg that extends into the open upper end of the movable rail and is secured thereto so that movement of the movable vertical rail causes the trolley to travel along the length of the headrail. The trolley is designed so that the shade material can extend uniformally along the horizontal leg of the trolley, and a stabilizing cord system interconnects the fixed rail with the movable rail at vertically spaced locations to maintain a parallel relationship between the movable rail and the fixed rail. The vertical orientation of the movable rail in turn maintains a horizontal orientation of the horizontal leg of the trolley to facilitate a desired interconnection of the trolley with the shade material.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Retractable coverings for architectural openings, such as windows, doorways, archways, and the like, have taken numerous forms for many years. Some such coverings are in the form of horizontally collapsible panels suspended from a headrail and having one edge connected to a fixed vertical rail and the opposite edge to a movable vertical rail. A trolley is secured to the top of the movable vertical rail and has a horizontal arm supported by and movable along the length of the headrail. The horizontal arm is typically six or so inches in length and includes two pair of horizontally disposed rollers which are disposed at opposite ends of the horizontal arm for rolling movement along the headrail. A problem with prior art retractable panels resides in the fact that the panel itself is suspended from the headrail by a plurality of carriers which are also movable along the length of the headrail and supported on a common track with the trolley. Accordingly, the carriers interfere with the trolley at the connection of the retractable panel to the trolley, and as a result, an aesthetic interruption in the panel occurs.
The present invention has been developed to provide a new and improved system for connecting a retractable vertical panel to a trolley and a headrail along which the trolley can translate without detracting from the aesthetics of the panel.